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Resonance

Part 1 Project 2013Thomas ParkerUniversity for the Creative Arts, UKIn the effort to avoid controversial Olympic moments the organisation and execution of Olympic Games has changed drastically over the last 40 years. Evolving issues and constantly changing social situations have caused controversial moments both during games and their organisation process. With a large amount of pressure now being put on organising a controversy free Olympic games, but what actions need to be put in place to truly understand issues that have plagued previous games?

Resonance addresses controversial issues by bringing together items that have caused or been part of controversial events, furthering a discourse on how these objects have come into existence and what their true meaning is in relation to Olympic legacy is. On what levels can these objects relate to each other? What can be learnt from human rights abuse in Beijing? And can we drawn relations to similar human rights abuse in the slum relocations of Rio de Janeiro.

Athens becomes the hub for Resonance, being a city that has suffered most from a combination of social and economic issues, including the 2004 Olympic Games. Now seemingly left in a state of disregard, the cityscape of Athens is failing to live up to the dreams of a city that hoped to prosper from the Olympic process. Athens draws on a history of controversial moments in Olympic events, starting with Oenomaus the Greek King who founded the Olympic Games with a series of brutal chariot races, which if lost, resulted in the execution of competitors.

Creating an archive of objects that can be learnt from when proposing an Olympic bid, Resonance allows organisers to understand common; or not so common; issues which could be faced when organising their own games. With the ability to repair and sustain items that have been damaged due to disregard, Resonance creates a shell which protects the fragile evocative objects that are required for discussion, creating a series of spaces to both benefit the public and private understanding of this objects that require a truly unique perspective on their own history and how they inform the future of Olympic legacy.Thomas ParkerTutor(s)Mr Oliver Froome-Lewis